Group plans sheriff’s town hall meeting on May 13

A local political group will host a town hall meeting with candidates running for Maury County sheriff on at 6:30 p.m. May 13.

A local political group will host a town hall meeting with candidates running for Maury County sheriff on at 6:30 p.m. May 13.

The Rose Ella Initiative is sponsoring the free event, which is open to the public and will be held in the upstairs room at Puckett’s restaurant at 15 Public Square in downtown Columbia. A cash bar will be available starting at 6 p.m.

District 64 State Rep. Sheila Butt will speak before the debate.

Candidates running for sheriff include: Terry Chandler, Robin Howell, Bucky Roland, Luis Sweeney and Jimmy Tennyson. All have accepted invitations to participate in the town hall meeting, with the exception of Tennyson, who is uncommitted.

Maury County’s current sheriff, Enoch George, is retiring.

"We are encouraging people to come out and get to know their candidates," Rose Ella founder Bart Whatley said in a press release. "One thing we have learned in putting on these meetings is that voters do not have many opportunities to meet the people running for office here. Rose Ella has attempted to fill this void by hosting monthly meetings featuring a variety of current candidates who introduce themselves and then answer questions posed directly from the audience."

The event will be moderated by Holly Dobbs.

Questions for candidates will be solicited via email prior to the meeting. If time permits, additional questions from the audience will be considered.

The Rose Ella Initiative, a project of the Rose Ella Coalition, is dedicated to networking citizens and introducing local political candidates for the betterment of Maury County.